ALA calls for immediate passage of USA Freedom Act of 2014

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Office of Government Relations

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The following statement on behalf of the American Library Association (ALA), concerning the introduction earlier today of the USA Freedom Act of 2014 by Sen. Patrick Leahy, may be attributed to Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA Washington Office:

"Libraries and librarians are and have been on the frontlines of the fight to preserve the Fourth Amendment and foster government transparency in a post 9/11 world. The new USA Freedom Act introduced today by Sen. Leahy and others, if passed, would finally allow judges to assess all “gag orders” that accompany every so-called National Security Letter, empower new Special Advocates to meaningfully champion civil liberties in FISA Court proceedings upon judicial request and, once and for all, end the dragnet collection of US citizens’ telephone records under the Patriot Act.”

“While more to protect privacy still needs to be done, as Sen. Leahy has said, the USA Freedom Act of 2014 deserves to be passed quickly by Congress and signed by the President without delay; thirteen years to begin to restore Americans’ privacy is long enough."

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.